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Saturday, June 05, 2010

It's Pop interviews Julian Perretta (+ Wonder Why video premiere)

I was lucky enough to meet Julian Perretta in Paris, as he's getting busy promoting his first single and album there. After the record was off to a rocky start back in September, Julian is ready to take on the world. And if you want my opinion, I think he's very (VERY) likely to succeed, because he's got the talent, the music and a little je-ne-sais-quoi that makes him instantly likeable. Mark my words people: Julian Perretta is going to be a star.

EDIT: due some legal issues, I've been asked to remove some parts of the interview. I am really sorry that you are not able to read everything Julian had to say, and what happened with him back in September.

IP Since the initial release of Wonder Why was cancelled in September 09, you got signed to Universal and moved to LA for a while. What have you been up to until today?
JP Yes I spent 2 months there, and really had a great time. We kept the record the way it initially was. Fortunately no one got to hear it, it didn't leak, which I’m pleased about because it's still very fresh. So now Wonder Why comes out next month in France and then across Europe the rest of the Summer, and then Stitch Me Up (the album) will be out in September.

IP Have you been working with new people or is the record basically the same?
JP I’ve just added two tracks, one of which is called Stitch Me Up. That’s why I renamed the album this way.

IP Did you develop anything new musically while you were in LA?
JP I did some writing with Maroon 5 and I did yoga with Maroon 5 too! I also have a great friend there (Samantha Ronson Mark’s sister) who’s a DJ, so we spent a lot of time doing remix stuff. So it was a bit of a holiday, but not entirely!

IP How would you describe the album? What are the influences?
JP I wanted to write a classic pop record. My father is an amazing musician and I grew up listening to stuff like Elton John, David Bowie and my idol was Mick Jagger so I wanted to make a rock-pop album that sounded like the 70s but still sounded like a track that someone like Justin Timberlake maybe could sing, but without the kind of electro and urban vibe. Maroon 5 and Jamiroquai (who produced my whole album) were probably my biggest influences.

IP So, what’s the big plan for the re-launch of Julian Perretta?
JP I often hear that it’s a re-launch, but for me it’s not, really. Only a certain amount of people heard the music (bloggers, people who are active on the Internet). I’m very lucky that nothing leaked, so it’s still very new. In terms of promo, we’re gonna be doing a lot in France, which is the priority market right now. The record’s already gone to radio, and Wonder Why is being picked up very well

IP Female pop artists like Florence Welch, Diana Vickers, Ellie Goulding or Marina are pretty much ruling the pop charts in the UK at the moment. Are you the one who’s going to bring mal pop artists back on top?
JP It HAS to happen! There are too many girls! It’s been too long since there was a male popstar. Justin Timberlake is probably the last big international male artist I can think of. I’m making it my mission to succeed!

IP Last year you toured with Girls Aloud. Did anything naughty happen behind the scenes?
JP As much as I would have loved that, I can tell you nothing happened. We’d all love that, right? (Yes we would all love that)

IP How was the tour?
JP It was a great experience. Well, before that my band and I were used to playing tiny venues. So going from that to playing in front of 20 000 people is a crazy experience. Actually it’s like playing in the dark because the venues are so big you can’t see anything.

IP How do you feel about being already quite famous, having lots of fans and still not having released anything yet?
JP The thing is I’m very fortunate because without having my music out, there have been lots of famous people saying they love it [blogger Perez Hilton was an early fan], I’ve been lucky enough to meet people like Beyoncé and even tour with her. So I’ve been given a very good start, and now finally the record’s coming out, so there’s gonna be no mistake this time!

IP Are there any new artists you particularly like at the moment?
JP One I’m really into right to is a friend of mine called Christian TV. He is from Detroit, and he’s got a song called “When she turns 18”, which is about a 17 year-old who wants to go out, meet boys and drink, but who’s still being held back by her dad. Then he comes in and says “when you turn 18, we’re gonna have a lot to do”. I love it, I think it’s a smash. The world definitely needs something like that.

IP If you had to choose….… one song: it changes all the time to me, but Billy Joel’s She”s Always A Woman always comes back into my life, back and forth. I remember hearing it when I was 7. It reminds me of my mother a lot, of growing up too, and making the decision to become a musician. It’s very personal in fact.… one album: John Mayer’s latest albumBattle Studies. It’s amazing.… one artist: The Kinks. They remind me of my dad. The music I listen to on my own are songs that remind me of my parents, of being younger, and that’s a band that does that.

Nice interview! I really like Julian Perretta, however I couldn't watch the Wonder Why video here, it returns me an error that it's not available in the US... So I had to search for it on YouTube and finally I can say that it's amazing! It's totally Julian's awesome style!